To go further into my point, Norton never could take a decent punch. Holyfield is going to be spraying Norton with all kinds of combinations he's never seen before, even with Ali. I think this will be a slug fest, with Holyfield's heart and determination paying off. Holyfield would win a war within 6 rounds IMO.
I think Norton would be very tough for Evander ... I actually think he might beat him .. I do not put Evander as that much a bigger puncher than an Ali or Holmes .. Norton had an 80 " reach, a terrific jab, a big overhand right and 15 round stamina .. he could very well decision Evander ...
Evander has more 1 punch knockouts then Ali or Holmes. And, I just think he does if you watch his fights with Mike Tyson and Douglas, that really shows his best power. He managed to knock both of these guys down with one punch, his right lead or his left hook. Yeah, Norton would certainly give him a good fight, considering he's taller and has that reach, but Evander has faster hands, a higher work rate, and probably is the better adaptable of the two. Evander would have some styleistic problems with Norton, but it would really depend on how Evander decides to fight him. If he slugs with him, then I think he wins, but if Evander boxs him then Norton will use his jab and technical skill to make it a very interesting fight. I'll pick Evander.
Nice match-up. It's been done a million times but always good. A PRIME NORTON IS 1/2" TALLER WITH A 2 1/2" LONGER REACH. THEIR WEIGHT WAS CLOSE. NO REAL SIZE ADVANTAGE EITHER WAY. BOTH VERY STRONG MEN WITH GOOD STAMINA AND WORKRATE. NORTON MAY HAVE HAD A SLIGHTLY BETTER JAB BUT HOLYFIELD WAS THE BETTER FIGHTER OVERALL AND HE WAS MORE DURABLE. HOLYFILED ALSO HAD QUICKER HANDS, QUICKER FEET, AND BETTER FOOTWORK. HOLYFIELD BY COMPETITIVE BUT CLEAR DECISION.
This could well have been a classic. My money would have been on Norton. Possibly by split decision. Sometime during the fight,it would have become a war of attrition. Evander did n't have the big punch to really hurt Ken.
Distance or KO, either way I have trouble envisioning a way for Norton to win. Holyfield was the better boxer with the bigger punch.
Evander did have a decent punch, and Norton was knocked out by Garcia, who was not a massive puncher, not at all. Considering Holyfield managed to stun Foreman with his flurrys, when Foreman simply shrugged off Norton's with no problem. Plus, the right cross that Cooney threw was the punch that initially stunned Norton. Saying that Holyfield couldn't stun Norton with a right lead of his own, (He had a much better right lead then Cooney), is not out of the question.
Norton's a good fighter, but Holyfield's a great one. Evander has the power to keep Ken honest, and he displayed the necessary 15 round work rate in the first match with Qawi to get the job done.
Norton was really bothered by the huge hitters. But I certainly do not count Holyfield amongst them. While Holyfield might have hit harder than Ali and Holmes the difference would be marginal. In fact, with an Ali who set his mind to it I wonder if the opposite wasn't true. I am thinking of Bonavena, Ron Lyle and a peak George Foreman. Remember, Evander couldn't knock out an old Foreman. I know, I know what people are going to say. An exhausted Foreman and all. Coming back to Norton-Holyfield. Ken wouldn't be psyched out by Holyfield's power and so would fight him freely. In such situations, Norton could always be a very difficult fighter to beat. But one thing I must say is that Norton just wouldn't be able to hurt Evander, who had one of the best chins of all time. While a points win for Norton is imaginable, I would go with Holyfield to win a well fought decision. Why? Too much character.
It seems that it would go to the cards. Maybe a split decision, as someone stated. It's tough to bet against Holyfield because he would be very serious as opposed to Ali's clowning.
